Truck lift



F. D. VOSS TRUCK LIFT July 4, 1967 Filed Oct. l9, 1965 ,I a o 4 W0 QM m 4 3,329,400 TRUCK LIFT Francis D. Voss, Emerson, Nebr. 68733 Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 497,757 3 Claims. (Cl. 2542) My invention relates to a truck lift.

An object of my invention is to provide a double cylinder arrangement for truck lifts which will provide a maximum lifting effect, and yet which will provide means whereby the lifting effect can be applied in a restricted lateral distance.

A further object of my invention is to provide a lift having greater stability in its fore and aft position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a lift which can be raised to, and supported in a 90 position thereby requiring less storage space, and which when raised to this position will oil itself when returned to normal operating position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a lift which includes adjustable features so that the lift can be applied to loads having varying heights.

A further object of my invention is to provide a lift having transporting wheels, which wheels will have the feature of rising with the raising portions of the jack so that they will not otherwise sink in mud and the like.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for conveniently carrying the adjustable portions of the jack.

A further object of my invention is to provide a certain piston and cylinder construction wherein the sidewalls of the pistons have certain radii so that when the pistons are inclined from the vertical there will never be present a binding action between the movable and stationary surfaces.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the lift, with a portion thereof being taken in cross section,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a view of a portion of the lift when in its vertical position, and taken partially in cross section,

FIGURE 4 is a detail, and

FIGURE 5 is a further enlarged detail.

In describing my invention, I have used the character to designate an elongated handle member, which handle member is hollow, the character 11 indicating a pair of rings welded at 12 to the handle member. The character 13 indicates a cylindrical pipe welded as at 14 to the cap 15, the character 16 indicating a further cylindrical member welded at 17 to the cap 18, the members 13 and 16 being received on the rings 11 for transporting purposes.

The character 19 indicates the base of the lift, which is of much greater length than the width as shown in FIG- URE 2, and the character 20 indicates a further hollow lengthened structure communicating to the handle 10, which handle 10 is welded at 21 to the base 19.

Communicating to the member 20 are the substantially vertical tubes 22 which are open at 23, and the character 24 indicates a pair of stationary cylinders, the character 25 indicating circular members having the inner annular flange portions 26, the characters 27 and 28 indicating annular sealing rings.

The character 29 indicates openings in the members 25. The assembled members 24 and 25 are securely held to the base structure by means of the bolt heads 30 of the lengthened bolts 31 which are threadably attached to the nuts 32 secured to the members 20 and 19, this arrange- United States Patent 0 "ice ment thereby serving to firmly secure the stationary portions of the lift.

Slidably engaging the outer peripheries of the members 25 are the further cylinders 33 of which there are a pair as shown, these cylniders lying adjacently to each other.

Welded to the top walls 34 of the cylinders 33 at 35 is the cylindrical cap 36 having the grooves 37 formed therein. The members 15 and 18 also include the grooves 37. The character 38 indicates rings secured to the cylinder 33 by means of the bolts 39, these rings eliminating excessive upward and lateral movement of the cylinders 33.

Attached to one of the cylinders 33 at 40 is the leg 41 having the portions 42 receiving the shaft 43 upon which is journaled the wheels 44, and attached at 45 to this cylinder is a support member 46 terminating in the expanded portion 47. The surfaces at 48 and 49 are made in an arcuate form, the arc of these surfaces being of the same radius as the cylindrical abutment surface itself.

The lift operates in the following manner.

The operating position is as shown in FIGURE 1 and the compressed air is admitted through the hollow handle 10 in any desired manner. The character 50 indicates the level of the oil which is placed in the unit in any desired manner and preferably through the openings 29 when the top portions are removed, and the compressed air emitted out of the openings 23 will first fill the space beneath the members 25 and will then pass through the openings 29 into the spaces 51 and thence raise the members 33, 41, etc., thereby raising the vericle. In case the base 19 is resting in mud and gravel, etc., the fact that the wheels 44 will raise with the cylinders 33 provides a desirable feature in that the wheels will not become imbedded in the mud. The positioning of the cylinders 33 as shown will provide means wherein the lifting effort can be provided in a restricted lateral space, the double cylinder arrangement also completely covering the stationary cylinders to provide protective features.

The vehicle can be raised by resting the necessary portion thereof directly on the cap 36, or for different heights of vehicles, the members 13, 15 can be used, or the members 16, 18, or a combination of these members as shown in FIGURE 1 thereby providing an adjustment for a variety of heights.

After use, the device can be raised to the position shown in FIGURE 3 whereupon it will rest upon the wheels 44 and the portion 47, and also the oil will then drain through the openings 29 into the space 51. When again used in the operating position shown in FIGURE 1, this oil will then become operative since it will be positioned along the cylindrical surfaces of the members 25 and 33, thereby providing a re-lubricating effect each time the unit is used, the arrangement as shown in FIG- URE 3 providing a convenient method between operations for storing the unit and occupying a minimum of space.

The arcuate surfaces at 48 and 49 and the radius of such arcs are very important since they will prevent binding between these surfaces and the adjacent surfaces when the lift is raised, since only one minimum point of peripheral engagement is present regardless of the tendency of the cylinders 33, for instance, to fall over to one side or the other. This feature prevents any binding action between the surfaces, which binding action would be present if the engaged surfaces were parallel to each other. As a result the raising action is smooth and uniform, without such binding effects, and due to the fact that the radius of the arcs at 48 and 49 is the same as the radial distance of the cylindrical surfaces provides the maximum beneficial effect.

It will now be noted that I have provided the various receiving said cylinder members, abutment means attached to said further cylinder members for engaging a vehicle to be raised, said cylinder members and said further cylinder members including peripherally engaged surfaces, said surfaces being substantially arcuate, with centers of the radii of said surfaces being taken along points originating on the vertical axes of said cylinder, an elongated handle member attached to said base, said handle member being hollow to admit compressed air therein, said handle member including an extending portion attached to said base, said extending portion being hollow and including vertically positioned tubes attached thereto, said vertically positioned tubes being open at their upper ends and extending into said stationary cylinders to provide egress of compressed air, said stationary cylinder members having openings for providing passage of compressed air into said further cylinder members.

2. A truck lift comprising a generally elongated base, a pair of longitudinally positioned stationary cylinder members attached to said base, further cylinder members receiving said cylinder members, abutment means attached to said further cylinder members for engaging a vehicle to be raised, said cylinder members and said further cylinder members including peripherally engaged surfaces, said surfaces being substantially arcuate, with centers of the radii of said surfaces being taken along points originating on the vertical axes of said cylinder, an elongated handle member attached to said base, said handle member being hollow to admit compressed air therein, said handle member including an extending portion attached to said base, said extending portion being hollow and including vertically positioned tubes attached thereto, said vertically positioned tubes being open at their upper ends and extending into said stationary cylinders to provide egress of compressed air, said stationary cylinder members having openings for providing passage of compressed air into said further cylinder members, wheels attached to one of said further cylinders, an extended support member attached above said wheels whereby said lift can be placed substantially vertically.

3. A truck lift comprising a generally elongated base, a pair of longitudinally positioned stationary cylinder members attached to said base, further cylinder members receiving said cylinder members, abutment means attached to said further cylinder members for engaging a vehicle to be raised, said cylinder members and said further cylinder members including peripherally engaged surfaces, said surfaces being substantially arcuate, with centers of the radii of said surfaces being taken along points originating on the vertical axes of said cylinder, an elongated handle member attached to said base, said handle member being hollow to admit compressed air therein, said handle member including an extending portion attached to said base, said extending portion being hollow and including vertically positioned tubes attached thereto, said vertically positioned tubes being open at their upper ends and extending into said stationary cylinders to provide egress of compressed air, said stationary cylinder members having openings for providing passage of compressed air into said further cylinder members, wheels attached to one of said further cylinders, an extended support member attached above said wheels whereby said lift can be placed substantially vertically, adjustable means attached to said further cylinder members for adjustably positioning to a vertical heighth of a vehicle, said means including a plurality of cylindrical support members including cylindrical portions and reduced cylindrical portions extending therefrom, rings attached to said handle member for receiving said cylindrical support members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,955,635 4/1934 Kelly 254-2 2,163,959 6/ 1939 Nilson 25489 2,669,423 2/1954 Pehrsson 254-2 2,891,765 6/1959 Pearne -52 X 2,966,222 12/1960 Lambert 254-2 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,195,450 6/1965 Germany.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A TRUCK LIFT COMPRISING A GENERALLY ELONGATED BASE, A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY POSITIONED STATIONARY CYLINDER MEMBERS ATTACHED TO SAID BASE, FURTHER CYLINDER MEMBERS RECEIVING SAID CYLINDER MEMBERS, ABUTMENT MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID FURTHER CYLINDER MEMBERS FOR ENGAGING A VEHICLE TO BE RAISED, SAID CYLINDER MEMBERS AND SAID FURTHER CYLINDER MEMBERS INCLUDING PERIPHERALLY ENGAGED SURFACES, SAID SURFACES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ARCUATE, WITH CENTERS OF THE RADII OF SAID SURFACES BEING TAKEN ALONG POINTS ORIGINATING ON THE VERTICAL AXES OF SAID CYLINDER, AN ELONGATED HANDLE MEMBER ATTACHED TO SAID BASE, SAID HANDLE MEMBER BEING HOLLOW TO ADMIT COMPRESSED AIR THEREIN, SAID HANDLE MEMBER INCLUDING AN EXTENDING PORTION ATTACHED TO SAID BASE, SAID EXTENDING PORTION BEING HOLLOW AND INCLUDING VERTICALLY POSITIONED TUBES ATTACHED THERETO, SAID VERTICALLY POSITIONED TUBES BEING OPEN AT THEIR UPPER ENDS AND EXTENDING INTO SAID STATIONARY CYLINDERS TO PROVIDE EGRESS OF COMPRESSED AIR, SAID STATIONARY CYLINDER MEMBERS HAVING OPENINGS FOR PROVIDING PASSAGE OF COMPRESSED AIR INTO SAID FURTHER CYLINDER MEMBERS. 